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Check out the new VM49K & VM59K multiscale basses. The VM49K has a 34" - 35.5" multiscale fingerboard, and the VM59K has a 34" - 36" multiscale fingerboard. There are no plans for a six-string version; the pickups aren't wide enough.

Pics of the VM49K will be forthcoming; right now, we're just showing the VM59K.

The SCP and Radium humbucker are voiced very differently, it's not really a matter of the how they're angled that would make them less dissimilar. That being said, would leaving the pickups straight on a multi-scale really be so bad? It would sure make the 6-string much easier to do.

Last edited by MikeBass on Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's not totally unheard of, it seems quite rare. in a few-minute-long google search, I only found one seemingly-legitimate maker who puts straight pickups in a multiscale bass. It seems more common in guitars.

MikeBass wrote:The SCP and Radium humbucker are voiced very differently, it's not really a matter of the how they're angled that would make less dissimilar.

Stuart Spector reversed the placement of the two halves of the P pickup to make a tonal difference. Sully Guitars just made his first bass and one of the pickups was angled because the customer said it made a tonal difference. Making the pickups straight on a multi-scale would give a similar placement curve to the standard P-style pickup. That's all I'm saying.

spudmunkey wrote:It's not totally unheard of, it seems quite rare. in a few-minute-long google search, I only found one seemingly-legitimate maker who puts straight pickups in a multiscale bass. It seems more common in guitars.

The virtual builder on Halo's website leaves the pickups straight when you add the multi-scale option to a custom bass. There doesn't even seem to be an option to make them angled.

Using straight pickup routes would be a bit of an aesthetic crime. They would surely be laughed at, by a lot of potential customers. Even I the industry is generally accepting of such a thing.

Strange to me, is why they didnt just go ahead and make a longer pickup. I mean, they have recent history of a certain pickup being only available on one or two basses. Obviously, that sort of thing is sustainable. And Jeff even said that the 6 string is designed and ready, minus pickups...

*however, it seems obvious that the choice to launch with the Vanquish, was very recent. As they don't even have a 4 string to show, and the 5 is solid black(bhild one as fast as possible?).I feel like NAMM has a strong possibility for another entire model, due to Jeff mentioning an Icon MS for a few months. And/or a 6 string option, at all.

**BTW, not having a 4 string ready, is confusing. Even with the little disclaimer on the link and a page which says "4 string"--- I have seen people misquoting specs around the web, with disappointment. Because they clicked on a picture of a 5 string : \I wonder if any web orders will be made by mistake, because of that picture issue.

Toptube wrote:Using straight pickup routes would be a bit of an aesthetic crime. They would surely be laughed at, by a lot of potential customers.

I disagree. The angled pickups look like you dropped the instrument and the pickups were dislodged.

There's also the issue of strings lining up with their polepieces. I don't know what's under the covers on Kiesel's pickups, but on J-style or Musicman-style pickups with exposed poles, there's no way I would ever want those angled.

Toptube wrote:Using straight pickup routes would be a bit of an aesthetic crime. They would surely be laughed at, by a lot of potential customers.

I disagree. The angled pickups look like you dropped the instrument and the pickups were dislodged.

There's also the issue of strings lining up with their polepieces. I don't know what's under the covers on Kiesel's pickups, but on J-style or Musicman-style pickups with exposed poles, there's no way I would ever want those angled.

Some individuals will of course, disagree. However, I am sure that the general market would scoff if kiesel used a straight orientation for their pickups. They want to see angles from bridge to nut. A lot of people scoff at the Ibanez SRFF805 and 806, for not angling the edge of the fretboard, after the nut.

P.S. Kiesel's radiums are blades, with a radius.

P.P.S. You can see that Nordstrans made a special set of super singles, for the prestige model fanned fret, from Ibanez. The exposed poles are still level with the strings, even though the casing is angled. Ibanez also angled the edge of the fret board after the nut, on this higher model.

Toptube wrote:I am sure that the general market would scoff if kiesel used a straight orientation for their pickups. They want to see parallel angles from bridge to nut.

By the very nature of multi-scale, that is not physically possible. Kiesel appears to have placed their pickups parallel to the 24th fret, but the angle of the bridge saddles is radically different from that, as a multi-scale would be.

Toptube wrote:I am sure that the general market would scoff if kiesel used a straight orientation for their pickups. They want to see parallel angles from bridge to nut.

By the very nature of multi-scale, that is not physically possible. Kiesel appears to have placed their pickups parallel to the 24th fret, but the angle of the bridge saddles is radically different from that, as a multi-scale would be.

I'm sure Jeff will eventually sort out a way to do a six-string.

Radically different?

Anyway, I figured someone would call me on the use of "parallel" so I removed it. Seems you got me quoted before I did that!

The point is, angles. The general market wants them.

And again with pole pieces, most companies aren't trying try to angle any regular pickup. Kiesel themselves, increase their relationship with Duncan, specifically to have a second pickup option for the multi-scale guitars. Because their regular pickups with pole pieces, are not a drop on solution.

Jeez, are we going to nitpick, rather than extrapolate, here? Doing this on my phone, is a pain.

The general trend in the multiscale market, be it guitar or bass, is an angled aesthetic, to at least loosely follow the fan of the frets. Most of the potential customer market, is expecting to see such. There are of course, lots of ways to make a bass. But, when talking market trends and expectations, Kiesel angled the pickups for that, as much as they did for tone goals.

Kiesel could make a fanned six bass, with straight pickups. But, it would go against the tone goals of the line, as well as the aesthetic goals.

Toptube wrote:*however, it seems obvious that the choice to launch with the Vanquish, was very recent. As they don't even have a 4 string to show, and the 5 is solid black(bhild one as fast as possible?).

**BTW, not having a 4 string ready, is confusing. Even with the little disclaimer on the link and a page which says "4 string"--- I have seen people misquoting specs around the web, with disappointment. Because they clicked on a picture of a 5 string : \I wonder if any web orders will be made by mistake, because of that picture issue.

They did the same thing with at least one of the other multiscales. Didn't seem to cause that much confusion then, so they probably were OK with it again, to finally give people what they want and hopefully shut up 80% of the repeated requests.

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